Physics of the Hydrogen Geocorona

这个提议是为了系统地研究地球日冕的巴尔默- α线剖面，以研究级联的详细行为和其他可能的激励机制，除了直接的莱曼- β激励。首次同时观测到地球日冕氢的巴尔默- α和巴尔默- β线轮廓将使用两台高分辨率法布里-珀罗环形求和光谱仪，该光谱仪位于威斯康星州麦迪逊附近的派恩布拉夫天文台。balmer - α和balmer - β线轮廓由不同的精细结构组成，但受到相同的外逸层运动学的影响。将这两组观测数据与太阳莱曼线辐射传输模型进行比较，将有助于将线剖面中由于运动引起的特征与由于级联或其他激励机制引起的特征隔离开来。未来与TIMED卫星上的仪器同步观测的潜力可能会产生一个非常全面的、一致校准的地球日冕巴尔默- α、巴尔默- β和莱曼- α发射数据，以及它们的太阳激发通量，并导致对氢地球日冕物理的新认识。

ATM-9908775Roesler, FredThis proposal is for systematic studies of geocoronal Balmer-alpha line profiles to investigate the detailed behavior of cascade and other possible excitation mechanisms in addition to direct Lyman-beta excitation. For the first time coincident observation of geocoronal hydrogen Balmer-alpha and Balmer-beta line profiles will be made using two high resolution Fabry-Perot annular summing spectrometers located at the Pine Bluff Observatory near Madison, WI. The Balmer-alpha and Balmer-beta line profiles are composed of different fine structures, but are affected by the same exospheric kinematics. Comparison of both sets of observations with solar Lyman line radiative transfer modeling will facilitate isolation of signatures in the line profile due to kinematics from those due to cascade or other excitation mechanisms.The potential for future coincident observations with instruments aboard the TIMED satellite could yield a very comprehensive body of consistently calibrated geocoronal Balmer-alpha, Balmer-beta, and Lyman-alpha emission data, along with their solar excitation fluxes, and lead to a new level of understanding of the physics of the hydrogen geocorona.